4 - Settings Section

The Settings section allows you to define some of the basic ways in which Gatekeeper operates. Each group of options is discussed below.

When a Privilege Violation Occurs

Two radio buttons in this area let you tell Gatekeeper what to do about suspicious operations it encounters. When the "Stop the Operation (Notify & Veto)" radio button is selected, Gatekeeper will stop any suspicious activities it observes. On the other hand, if the "Permit the Operation (Notify Only)" radio button is selected, Gatekeeper will not actually interfere with suspicious operations; it will merely tell you the operations have occurred. It's then up to you what you do about them.

Gatekeeper Aid will also respect these settings to some extent - when "Notify Only" mode is chosen, it will refrain from removing any suspicious resources (known as "Implied Loaders") that it may find. However, even in "Notify Only" mode, 'Aid will still remove any known viruses it comes across.

When an Important Event Occurs

Two check boxes in this area let you tell Gatekeeper and Gatekeeper Aid what they should do when they need to get your attention. Typically, they only need to get your attention when they observe things like privilege violations, viral infections or other similarly unusual events. The "Display an Alert" check box tells Gatekeeper and 'Aid, when they are used with System 6.0 or later, to display an alert describing the event that occurred and their response to that event. The "Record it in the Log File" check box tells them to record a short description of the event in the Gatekeeper Log file for later review. These two options may be in used in any combination you find convenient; in practice, however, it's best to keep both options checked.

During Startup

Two check boxes in this area let you tell Gatekeeper and 'Aid how to behave when your Mac starts-up. If the "Show the Gatekeeper Icon" check box is checked, Gatekeeper and Gatekeeper Aid's icons will be displayed somewhere along the bottom of your Mac's display during startup. Showing icons in this fashion is merely a convenient way of showing that both items are installed on your Macintosh. In addition, if either one cannot install itself for some reason, its icon will be drawn with a large red X over it to warn you that something went wrong.

The other check box in this area, labeled "Display a Mode Warning Alert", allows you to tell Gatekeeper whether or not it should display a "warning" alert after startup to remind you of what mode it is operating in. Gatekeeper can operate in either Notify Only or Notify & Veto mode. By default, Gatekeeper displays a warning alert after startup when it is in Notify Only mode (since it doesn't protect against viruses in that mode), but does not display a warning alert when in Notify & Veto mode (since that is the mode in which Gatekeeper normally operates). The "Display a Mode Warning Alert" check box, however, allows you to change this behavior to suit your own needs.